, 1887-12-14
A SAVAGE BATTLE.
The Fight for the Middle
Weight Championship
Dempsey Meets a Plucky Foe
man in Reagan.
Forty-Five Hard Fought and
Vicious Rounds.
A Hard Fought Battle.

A Hard Fought Battle.
New YORK, Dec. l3.-Jack Dempsey
and Johnny Reagan met this morning up
the Hudson, and fought to a finish for
the middle-weight championship of
America and a $1,000 purse of money,
London prize ring rules.
The ring was pitched near the shore,
and the fight began about $50.
Terrific fighting was done from the
start, clinching and pounding being the
order.
In the second round Dempsey claimed
that Reagan was fouling him by spiking,
and the referee cautioned Reagan against
it.
In the third round, however, Reagan
accidentally spiked Dempsey in a terrible
manner on the left leg. The cut was SO
deeRthat the bone could be seen. There
was much %wrangling, Dempsey's umpire
claiming the fight. The referee overruled
it.
In the fifth round the tide, which was
well on the flood, began creeping toward
the ring, and Dempsey was compelled to
moye partly out OF his corner.
Still the men fought on desperately
until the eighth round, which was fought
with three inches of water all over the
ling.
Dempsey's leg was now in a terrible
condition, and as it panied him more he
seemed to fight more desperately, if posi-
bic, than before, Furnishing Reagan quite
severely. There was no doubt by this
time that Reagan was nc match for DGmp-
sey in the matter of wrestling, as the
latter had thrown his opponent with ease
and vig0r each time they clinched.
At thn nloSa Of tho airbtb round III
referee stopped the fight until another
ring could be pitched on dry land. The
time occupied during these eight rounds
was eighteen minutes. All went to the
boat, and the principals went to bed.
W%rangling between the parties continued
loud and long.
At 1910 p. N. the fight was resumed
in a much better place. Dempsey went
right at Reagan, and q clinch ensued,
during which terrific in fighting was done.
1t ended by Dempsey back heeling Rea-
gan and going down with him heavily.
In the tenth Dempsey smashed Reagan
on the ribs with his left and on the nose
with his right with terrific force, drawing
blood, which was claimed but not allowed
for Dempsey, as Reagan had got first
blood in the seventh. Reagan fought
hard and fast and elected much praise.
In the eleventh and twelfth rounds
Dempsey pounded and threw Reagan
again. 1t was evident that the latter had
the worst Of the bargain in agreeing to
the London rules. lie vent on, however,
like a Spartan. In the thirteenth,
Dempsey attempted again to back-hecl his
opponent, who went down on his knees
to avoid a fall. Reagan was thrown hard
in both the fourteenth and fifteenth
rounds, while the mitigating was Of a
most savage character,
In the sixteenth and seventeenth
rounds there were two more falls for
Dempsey who also gave Reagan a terrible
smash on the nose. In the eighteenth
and nineteenth the same thing was kept
up. although Reagan fought gamely and
did the best he could. In the twentieth
Dempsey kept up Il tattoo on Reagan's
ribs until the oozing blood made his body
appear raw. When Reagan wcnt down
again to avoid another fall, Dempsey
cursed him and told him to get up and
fight. Reagan came up again for the
twenty first and the fighting was furious,
Dempsey delivering some heavy blows.
Reagan was thrown, however, in this and
the next round.
Round twenty-five was n savage one
and Dempsey pounded his adversary's
face in a terrible manner. But the latter
was game through and through.
Rounds twenty-six to thirty-four were
remarkable only for the way in which
Dempsey hit his man and the frequency
with which Reagan went down to save
himself. Dempscy's umpire even urged
his man to strike Reagan while he was on
his knees on account OF the foul in the
early part Of the fight, but Jack refused
to DO it.
Rounds thirty five to thirty eight were
characterized by the apparent rcvivalof
power on the part Of Reagan, who rushed
Dempsey some, but without much result.
In hethirty-ninth round Reagan received
a terrible thump on the ribs. In the
forty-frst round both men at the same
instant fetched each other vicious clips
with the right and left. Dempsey had
scarcely a mark on him at this time OK
cept a swollen eye.
Rounds forty two, forty-three and forty
four practically closed the battle. Demp
sey numerically punished Reagan, whose
lips were pulled and his left eye closed.
He was voted by the spectators as game a
man as ever stood in the ring. He never
cried quits,
At the beginning of round forty five
Bob Smith, at the solicitation of Reagan's
friends, who saw that he had no chance
to win, jumped into the ring and threw
up the sponge. The fight lasted one hour
and nine minutes. In the first ring there
was eighteen minutes fighting, and in the
second, flty-ono minutes. The fight
ended at l:0l p. m, leaving Dempsey
still the champion middle weight, Both
men weighed l47. Dempsey has won
thirty fights and had six draws. He has
never been defeated. Reagan had only
fought two battles previous to this. win
ming both.